Refactory Period

I'm turning 40 in 2 months and I've noticed that unlike 5-10 years ago, I need more recovery time after cumming. I'm not sure when this began, it just seemed to happen. I'm not overweight, I've cut my red meat intake in 1/2, I exercise 4-5 times a day, so what gives? Is it simply aging? What was once a 5-10 minute recovery time has turned into 30 minutes or more. Anyone else experience this at 40 and if so, were you able to do anything to improve your recovery period? I'm also eager to hear from anyone younger. BTW, on average, sex last 10 minutes to an hours. Quickies 10-20 minutes, longer sessions 30 minutes to an hour.

I'm in my late 40's, the period definitely gets extended. It's a good 30 ro 45 plus minutes now...but rarely in the past 3 years has my wife been wanting a second round (that's another story) as she's tired or sore (too many episiotomies in the past 10 years coupled with the fact she likes it deep and hard once the orgasms start flowing ) so I enjoy the first round as much as possible.

Gold Member

Dude, I experienced that at 18. Everyone's body is different, and they do change over time.

Good on you, though, for keeping fit and eating well. It'll help you in the long run. That being said, what kind of exercise are you doing 4-5 times a day? If it's heavy exercise, that might be wearing you down.

Paneros: Shooting distance and volume has never been an issue, (I can still shoot a few shots over my head...just not as many) I did however recently added a Kegel App to my phone for good measures. I don't believe Kegels will help me decrease my "down" period though.

Erratic: Funny you should mention "wearing you down." I don't lift heavy any more. I do more cardio, i.e. running, spin classes, step classes, Insanity workout, etc. I have noticed that unlike 10-15 years ago, I can't have sex after working out like I want to. And although I'm not ready to accept Hotswim's diagnosis, there's some truth to his statement.

I'm still waking up with solid erections, loads are still 5-6 ropes, just the refractory period increase. Like CapAmerica, my wife & I go all in during sex. No medical issues on her part and no complaints. I just want more. I'm certain that if I were to initiate round 2 after a 5-10 minutes delay, she wouldn't complain either.

BTW. I drink more than the recommend 64 oz a day of water. Should I consider supplements or accept the aging process? Which supplements? I can't take L-ARG. It causes me to breakout with cold sores. I do however eat foods high in L-Arg without a problem. Weird

There are a LOT of articles on the internet that discuss sex and aging. This was sourced from one after doing just a quick search:

How do men change physically with age, and how does that affect sex?

In most instances, older men require a longer time in order to achieve an erection. What took only a few seconds to a few minutes in a 19-year-old now requires 10-15 minutes in an older man. Many patients are often "cured" of impotence just by learning this important consequence of aging.

Similarly, women need to understand that the man may need more manual stimulation to achieve an erection. Just as women complain that they need more foreplay, as a man gets older, he too needs a fair amount of foreplay to achieve an erection. For a man over 50, it may not be enough to lend a seductive glance to get the guy rolling. A woman should be willing to do some fondling of the penis to help the man achieve an erection. Another normal change that occurs in the older man is the loss of orgasmic inevitability or the sensation of impending orgasm that occurs in younger men.

Some older men will notice that the volume of the ejaculate decreases slightly, and the force of the ejaculate also decreases with age. The older man also loses some of the focus on orgasm. The woman, accordingly, should not assume that he is not enjoying the intimate experience when the man does not ejaculate. On the contrary, older men can achieve a great deal of pleasure from sexual intimacy and yet not have an orgasm or ejaculate.

Finally, "the refractory period," or the time it takes to achieve another erection after ejaculation, increases with age. While a young man of 18 can often recover with an erection 15 minutes after sex, a man in his 50s may require 24 hours or more before he has another erection and he is interested in intercourse again.

I don't mean for this to sound like a recipe for despair. Anyone who's seen my posts knows I'm a huge believer in diet and exercise. This is for many reasons, including staving of premature effects of aging. However, the body does change as we grow older, and there's only so much we can reasonably do. A man at the age of 50 typically isn't on the same plane physically as a man at the age of 40, or at 30. To cite only one example, it's why we have age group competition and ranking in competitive sports, such as swimming, running, and cycling. We all had our chance to be young...